Monday, 30 April 2012

The
inside of the schoolhouse is open (not partitioned) and the log interior walls
are natural but whitewashed. Whitewashing helps to reflect some light where
there is little--for natural light, the school has four windows. Here we can also see some simple benches like
the ones that the students would have sat on for study. As in the early days you
will notice that there were no desks for the students. Blackboards were unheard
of at this point in time. Some children did use small hand-held slate boards and slender slate pencils for writing their lessons.Now I
would like you to keep in mind that when it was built, the school was in the
middle of the woods and children often walked up to five miles
to attend school in the winter. (By convening school in the winter months, school attendance would not interfere with other farming duties during busier times of the farming schedule during the year. After awhile, the winter school "term" was expanded to include some of the late fall into the early spring season). Teachers were not tested for competency or regulated and were,
in this case, also farmers themselves. Children were required to pay for their
tuition which went, in turn, to help pay the salary for the teacher—a sum of
about 2 or 3 dollars per child for a four month school term. In addition, each
child was expected to provide his (or her portion) of firewood for that term--the only source of heat was likely a single wood stove.

Girls did attend school but boys outnumbered the amount of girls who were
enrolled. School would have ended for children in and around the age of thirteen--roughly grade eight.

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Curating Waterloo Region's Local History

Local history is an undervalued entity that is often overlooked (or ignored entirely) by historians and the world at large. I believe that this region, in particular, has a unique perspective in comparison to other Canadian settlement stories and it is my intent to sleuth out and share these accounts.

About Me

Public, Local & Social Historian--Researcher, Blogger, Educator of Local Waterloo Region Settlement History that includes the Folkways and Practices (Folk Beliefs, Folklore, Superstitions/Folk Medicine (Witchcraft) and of course, Foodways) of the Pennsylvania Germans, Mennonites & Early Black Settlers. Secondary interests include the social life, food, medicine and superstitions of Early Modern Europe (Medieval to New World Colonial).